Nightmare Shadows
by Zapto369
Summary: It begins as a peaceful walk, but soon turns into an epic duel for their very souls...
1. Chapter 1: The Way it Begins

Chapter 1- The Way it Begins…

The sun was shining bright on that warm spring day when a happy couple decided to go on a relaxing stroll through the small neighborhood of Longleaf. It would be a nice change of pace after the prestigious KC Grand Championship. The pair had not made it to the top, but they dueled together with honor and still had a fun, yet tiring time. And now that the tournament was over, they could settle back down again and relax.

"Man, it's a really nice day today!" The boy noted. He looked to be about fifteen years of age and had medium-length brown hair and deep brown eyes. He wore blue sneakers on his feet and an interesting gray shirt that had angelic wings coming out of a cross. Although the weather was rather warm, he still wore jean pants and his signature grey jacket, unbuttoned of course, that also had angelic wings around a globe with the small words "For Humanity" on it. The jacket itself was not too special, but it meant a lot to the boy due to the memories he attributed to it. That was even amplified because of the duel disk that he wore on his left arm over his jacket.

"It is, but don't you think it's a little too warm to wear that jacket?" The girl asked. The girl was only about a year older than her boyfriend; however her beauty far surpassed her years. She had long brown hair and blue-grey eyes. She wore a blue T-shirt and short jeans with a sort of flower print pair of shoes. Around her neck was a ruby heart necklace, a Valentine's Day gift from her beloved. Like her beloved, she too wore a duel disk over her uncovered left arm.

"Yea, maybe, but you know how much I love my jacket." The young man replied. "You, James, are ridiculous." The young lady replied. "Of course I love you even more." The boy named James replied with one of his famous bad lines. "More than your jacket, oh you're good." She said as she stopped walking to embrace James and give him a quick kiss.

Then they continued walking down the street, hand in hand until they reached a rather large grass field that was more or less at the center of the suburban neighborhood. There was a mailbox kiosk on one side and two benches on the edges of the field.

"Hey, Kristiann, would you mind if we sit down for a minute?" James asked his girlfriend. "Yea, of course honey." The girl named Kristiann replied. So they sat down for a minute on a nearby bench and cuddled right up next to each other. "Thanks. I don't know, I just felt really weird all of a sudden. Like kind of weak and kind of lightheaded, you know." James said. "That's not really good, but I kinda just felt the same way too, so it's good that we sat down." Kristiann replied. "Yea." He wordily replied as he kissed her. "Ok, I think we can move on now." James said and he started to get up.

But suddenly a strong wind blew across the field and pushed him back down again. "Going somewhere?" A mysterious and angry sounding voice called out. "What, who said that?" James asked no one in particular. As a response, the wind kicked up some more and evil laughter echoed across the field. "Wow this is weird." Kristiann pointed out in confusion. But then they saw a large human figure heading towards then from the other side of the field.

"Then you haven't seen anything yet." The figure said in his deep, evil, and yet somehow familiar voice. He was about the same height as James and Kristiann, but the long black and red cloak that covered his entire body made him look much more intimidating. He wore a wide-brimmed black hat and he had a gray mask for a face. The mask itself was a simple gray color, with red lines around the eyes, but there was something creepy and menacing about it. As he walked closer he lifted his left arm from underneath the cloak to reveal an arm totally covered with a black cloth, but he had a chaos duel disk over that arm.

"James, Kristiann, it's time for me to take back everything I lost to you two. Right here and right now." The mysterious villain said evilly. "But just who are you?" Kristiann asked him. But the cloaked man simple chuckled sinisterly to himself. "Your worst nightmare!"


	2. Chapter 2: Enter the Antagonist

Chapter 2- Enter the Antagonist

"But just who are you?" James asked nervously. "I told you, my identity is of no importance, but frankly I'm disappointed that you don't recognize me." The mysterious man replied indifferently. "How would we know who you are? I've never seen you before." Kristiann told the man as she looked at him in disbelief.

"How, indeed?!" The man laughed aloud. "But enough chit-chat, it's time to really get down to business." He then added as he activated his duel disk. "What, you want us to duel you?" Kristiann asked in disbelief. "Of course, how else would I make you suffer as I so dearly want to?" The man asked with a sarcastic laugh. "Make us suffer? No way, I can't let you hurt Kristiann!" James replied nobly as he activated his duel disk.

"We duel alone, just you and me." James added. But the man just laughed at him. "I'm sorry, but I just can't accept that. The duel shall be me against the two of you." He added matter-of-factly. "And why is that? What kind of grudge do you have against her?" James asked defiantly. "Wahaha, that is a base question! It's all her fault I'm in this position in the first place!" He laughed as he pointed directly at Kristiann. "What?! What did I ever do to you?" She asked in confusion. "Everything, you ruined my very existence. And you James, I'm not too pleased with you either. But enough of this, it's time to begin." The man replied with bitterness in his voice.

"I told you, she won't…" James began, but Kristiann cut him off. "No, James, we're in this together. If this creeper has some kind of grudge against me, then I should defend myself too. Besides, he looks strong. I can't let you duel him all on your own. We duel together." She said bravely as she activated the duel disk on her arm.

James looked right at her and nodded his approval with understanding. "Well if you're done with your cute little charade, then let's get on with this." The villain said with malice. "Agreed." James said as the number 4000 showed up on all three of their duel disks to show their life point counts.

The three all looked at each other with determination and courage as they all said in unison the ever-famous phrase. "It's time to duel!"


	3. Chapter 3: The Duel Begins

Chapter 3- The Duel Begins

"I'll start." The mysterious villain said as he drew his first card. He gave a quick glance at his hand and then wasting no time in playing his first card. "And I'll do so by summoning Shining Abyss in defense mode." He said as he threw the monster card onto his duel disk in the sideways position. Immediately the hologram system kicked in and the monster materialized. The strange looking fairy monster with 1600 attack points and 1800 defense points had shining gold wings and a blue body. On its head was the outline of the sun with a sort of wing design underneath it.

"Then I'll set one card facedown and end my turn." The villain finished as he slid one unknown card into the side of his duel disk and the facedown card materialized on the field.

"Fine, then it's my move." James said as he drew a card from his deck. "And I'll summon Slate Warrior in attack mode!" He said as he played the card and the monster materialized on the field. The awkward, human-shape warrior was ready for battle with his blue staff and 1900 attack points and 400 defense points.

"Now, Slate Warrior, destroy his Shining Abyss!" James commanded as Slate Warrior rushed forward and slashed his enemy's monster apart with its battle staff. The mysterious villain let out a smirking noise, in indifference to his monster's destruction. "That ends my turn. He's all yours honey." James concluded as Kristiann drew her first card.

"Alright, now it's my turn." Kristiann said as she contemplated which card to play first. "First, I'll summon my Spear Dragon in attack mode." She said as she played the blue, long beaked dragon in attack mode on the field. "Now, Spear Dragon, attack that creeper's life points directly with dive bomb attack!" She commanded as the dragon prepared to charge forward directly at the cloaked villain's body.

The dragon started its charge towards its target, but at about halfway there the masked villain let out a laugh and lifted up his arm. "Ha, you've activated my trap card: Magical Arm Shield. This card lets me let one of your other monster's take the attack as opposed to me. And I choose Slate Warrior to take the hit!" The villain explained as the new arm shield on his right arm extended out it's grippers to snatch Slate Warrior from James' side of the field and bring it to his own.

"And since Slate Warrior and Spear Dragon have the same amount of attack points, they destroy each other." He explained as the two monsters collided. When the smoke cleared, both monsters were gone as well as the trap card. "Hmph, I end my turn." Kristiann said reluctantly.

"Wahaha, I love that trap card! It's takes two lovers and pits them against each other. And now due to your own doing, you're wide open for a direct attack. The only question is who do I want to destroy first? I think I can make you both suffer at the same time actually. And this is just the creature to do it." The twisted villain explained as he tossed a monster card onto his duel disk. "Come forth Spirit Reaper!" He said as the cloaked monster appeared holding a large scythe in its skeletal hand. Although it has a meager 300 attack points and 200 defense points, it still had plenty of punch and a nasty ability.

"What's the matter, team? I thought you didn't fear the reaper. Right, Kristiann?" The villain laughed. "What?! How do you know about us and that song?" Kristiann asked in a somewhat panic. "Hmph, I know all too much about you two." The villain replied with a sigh. "Just who are you?!" James practically shouted. "Patience, all in good time. Speaking of time, I believe it is time for me to attack. Don't you just hate time, James? Wahaha, now Spirit Reaper, attack Kristiann's life points directly!" The villain commanded.

"No!" James gasped. But it was too late as the villain's monster ran up to Kristiann and slashed her with its long scythe, taking a piece out of her life points and reducing them down to 3700. "Ah!" She cried in short pain and the reaper returned to its side of the field.

"But more importantly is my reaper's special ability: every time it does damage to an opponent's life points, you must discard one card from your hand." The villain explained. As Kristiann discarded one card to the graveyard slot in her duel disk, the mysterious masked villain continued his rant. "Soon, this duel will end and I'll make you suffer for everything you've put me through. James, Kristiann, you're fate is soon sealed!"


	4. Chapter 4: Their Fates are Sealed

Chapter 4- Their Fates are Sealed

"And to end my turn, I'll lay one card facedown." The villain said as he placed his card and finished laughing.

"Fine then, my move." James said as he drew a card. "And I summon Neo, the Magic Swordsman, in attack mode!" He said as he placed the card on his duel disk. The blonde knight appeared instantly with his magic light sword, 1700 attack points, and 1000 defense points. "Neo, attack Spirit Reaper now!" James commanded as Neo pointed his sword directly at the reaper. However, before he could execute his attack, he was interrupted.

"Typical James, always trying to be the royal knight to your lady. Well it won't work this time. I activate my facedown card: Windstorm of Etaqua!" The masked villain exclaimed as he raised his arm and revealed his facedown card. "This card switches the battle positions of all monsters on your side of the field; essentially switching your Swordsman into defense mode, negating its attack." The villain explained as the monster did indeed switch to defense mode.

"Fine then, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." James said in defeat. "In that case, I'll take over. His Spirit Reaper is now in attack mode with no defensive cards to protect him. All I need to do is summon a monster." Kristiann said confidently as she drew a card. "And this is just the one. Go, Bolt Penguin!" She cried as she summoned the electric penguin monster with 1100 attack points and 800 defense points.

"Now, Bolt Penguin, attack his Spirit Reaper with electric surge attack!" She commanded as the penguin sent a stream of electricity directly towards the enemy reaper. The surge hit its mark as the skeletal monster became engulfed in a cloud of energy. But when the attack died down, it was still standing there, the same as before.

"W-what? Why wasn't your monster destroyed?" Kristiann asked. But the villain just laughed to himself as his life points dropped down to 3200. "You see, my Spirit Reaper has another special ability: it can't be destroyed as a result of battle. However since it was in attack mode, I still lose life points." He then explained.

"See, I can still put a dent into your life points. You're not invincible, and even if you were, they're no way you can defeat the combined power of James and me." Kristiann told the villain confidently. "Oh is that so? Don't you two ever get tired of this goody, goody charade?" He asked with annoyance. "Well considering it's the good guys who are going to defeat you here, I'd say I'm not too tired of it." James replied smartly. "Oh, so you're the good guy now all of a sudden?" The villain asked.

"Yes, considering you only want to destroy me and Kristiann I would say that that would make you the bad guy." James replied. "Those are big words coming from you, James. You don't exactly have the best track record of wanting suffering and playing the bad guy." The villain stated with venom. "What? H-how do you… what do you…?" James asked in complete surprise as his eyes grew wide.

"Wahaha, how many times must I tell you, I know so much about the two of you, it would mind crush you if you knew!" The villain laughed and his voice seemed even more familiar, just for a moment. "James, wait what is he talking about?" Kristiann asked her boyfriend. James started to answer but was interrupted by the mocking laughter of the mysterious masked man. "What, you never knew James had a dark side? Everyone has a dark side, my dear, never forget that." He answered.

"Yes, but that was a long time ago! I've come a long time since then!" James exclaimed. "Was it really that long ago? Darkness never really goes away, James, it simply waits; waits for the right time to reemerge and reign once again." The villain answered. "Out with it, just who are you?! I'm tired of your mind games, just tell us! I end my turn!" Kristiann asked aggressively and almost in a panic.

"As am I. I think you're right it's time to reveal myself, though I'm sure you've guessed it by now, hunh James?" The villain mocked as he drew his card. "And perhaps if you're dense enough to not recognize me, then this card will definitely spark your memory. Think James, it's a card that preys upon the anger and hate inside the human heart; a card that you used to almost admire. Have you guessed it yet?" The villain asked again mockingly as he built up suspense and emotion. "No… it can't be." James almost whispered.

"Wahaha, but it is! I activate the Seal of the Orichalcos!" The villain laughed insanely as the field magic card slot opened on his duel disk and slid the new card into it. Immediately, the wind started blowing fiercely and clouds began to form in the sky. Next, a large green circle the size of the entire dueling field slowly came down from the sky and trapped all three duelists in its boundaries. Then the signature six-pointed star drew itself in the ground and the Seal was complete. "Now it's my turn to transform to my true form!" The masked villain cried as he unclipped his cloak and let fly away on the wind with his hat.

For the first time, James and Kristiann got to see the true body of their villain and hater. He had the same jeans pants as James, but he wore black shoes and socks. His shirt was completely black with red stars here and there forming an intricate pattern on it. His jacket was even more interesting because it looked almost exactly like James', only it was completely black and had the words "For the Grace of Man" underneath the globe now with demon wings. His hair was the same color brown as James' only a little darker, but it was completely straight, and the mask still covered his face. But the green circle of light in the forehead of the mask gave it an ominous effect.

Then suddenly, the mask shattered and the pieces blew away, revealing the true face of the previously unknown villain. His face looked exactly the same as James' with the exception of the green Orichalcos symbol radiating from his forehead. Also his eyes had a distinct dash of crimson red in them to mix in dramatically with the brown.

"What are you? Who are you? James…" Kristiann trailed off, cut off by the villain's demonic laughter. "I told you James, the darkness never truly goes away. And now the waiting is over. I'm back to claim what was rightfully mine from the beginning. James, I am your darker side. And today, darkness shall overpower the light and your very souls will pay the price. Ahahaha!" The Dark James laughed as the real James and Kristiann stood there in shock and disbelief.


	5. Chapter 5: Strike of the Vampire

Chapter 5- Strike of the Vampire

"Wahaha, surprised to see me, James?" Yami James laughed. "How are you here? There can't just be two of me! This makes no sense!" The original James asked in a fit of confusion. "Wahaha, this is very real though! I am your darkness and I'm here to destroy you, both of you." Yami laughed with venom. "But, I just don't understand." Kristiann said, equally confused as James was. "What's not to understand? James used to be a very dark individual. In fact, we were inseparable at the time. I was always at the forefront of his life. But then you came around, Kristiann. It's all because of your good influence and light that James, that I, changed my ways. And now I'm here to get rid of both of you and claim my rightful place." Yami explained.

"And now I'll activate this magic card to further my cause: Enemy Controller! This card lets me change the battle position of any one of your monsters. And I choose to switch your Magic Swordsman into attack mode." Yami explained as a video game controller came out of the new magic card and connected itself to James' Swordsman. Immediately, it was switched to attack mode and the magic card disappeared.

"What does that matter? You don't have any monsters strong enough to destroy either of our monsters." Kristiann pointed out. "Oh but I will soon enough. You see, the Seal of the Orichalcos gives me powers you can't even begin to imagine. And one of those powers is to increase the attack and defense power of all monsters on my side of the field by 500." Yami explained as the Seal on his own forehead lit up a bit more. Also, his Spirit Reaper gained the Orichalcos symbol on its forehead and immediately its attack grew to 800 and its defense grew to 700.

"And now I'll summon another powerful, and rather ironic, monster: Getsu Fuhma, the dark swordsman to James' light!" Yami cried as he summoned the red-haired, dark swordsman with 1700 attack and 1200 defense. "But because of the Seal of Orichalcos, my swordsman gains an extra 500 attack and defense points, making it stronger than your monsters." Yami explained as the symbol of the Seal appeared over Getsu Fuhma and its power rose.

"Now, Getsu Fuhma, attack and destroy James' Magic Swordsman!" Yami commanded as his swordsman drew his blade and began to charge towards James'. Neo positioned himself to block, but when they clashed steel, the dark swordsman came out on top and James' life points dropped to 3500.

"Now, Spirit Reaper, also attack James' life points directly!" Yami commanded again with evil fervor as James was still recovering from the last hit. The zombie monster ran up to James and slashed him right across with its scythe and dropped his life points even lower, to 2700. "And also because of my Reaper's effect, you have to discard one card from your hand." Yami reminded as James weakly discarded a card. "And that will end my turn." Yami concluded.

"Argh, my move then." James said as he recovered from the last attack and drew his card. He looked disappointedly at his hand and then called his move. "I summon Little Win-Guard in attack mode!" He said as the small wind knight emerged with 1400 attack and 1800 defense. "Now, Win-Guard, attack his Spirit Reaper and do some damage!" James commanded as his little knight flew towards the reaper and slashed it right across, doing damage to Yami's life points and bringing them down to 2600. "I have nothing else to play, but before I end my turn I can switch my Win-Guard to defense mode, even if I did just attack." James explained as his knight assumed a defensive position.

"I guess it's up to me then." Kristiann said as she drew her card. She glanced over her hand and then made her move. "First, I'll activate Graceful Charity, which allows me to draw three new cards from my deck, but only if I then discard two." She said as she played the magic card and drew her cards and then discarded. "And now I'll sacrifice my Bolt Penguin in order to summon a much stronger monster: Vampire Lord!" She cried as the Penguin dissolved into its card and the new dark monster appeared. It had a long, flowing cape, blue straight hair, and bright, piercing eyes. It also had impressive stats of 2000 attack and 1500 defense. "Hmph, however much that monster means to you, it's still too weak to destroy my monsters." Yami smirked.

"That may be true, but after I activate this card, you won't be laughing." Kristiann said confidently as she turned to James and gave a nod. James understood and smiled because he gave her the card that he knew she was about to play. "I activate Vampire Control! This powerful magic card allows me to destroy all of your monsters, but only if I give up 1000 life points first." She explained as she let her life points drop to 2700. Then her Vampire Lord began to shine with majestic darkness and it crossed its arms and sent a shock wave towards all of Yami's monsters, ripping them apart and destroying them. For the first time, Yami looked nervous as his monsters all disappeared and he was left totally defenseless.

"And now, Vampire Lord, attack his life points directly!" Kristiann cried as her Vampire creature practically flew towards Yami and ran up behind him and bite him harshly in the back of the neck. He let out a cry of pain as his life points depleted down to 1600. "And because of my Vampire's special ability, you now have to discard a card of my choice. I choose for you to discard a monster card from your deck." Kristiann said confidently. But Yami reacted unexpectedly as he began to laugh in a loud, mocking, evil laugh. "You think you've got the upper hand here, but you're wrong! Kristiann, James, you'll pay for this." Yami laughed insanely as he pulled out a card from his deck. "Your fates are sealed!" Yami continued to laugh.


	6. Chapter 6: Summoning of Space

Chapter 6- Summoning of Space

"Do you realize the power that I now hold in my hand?" Yami laughed. "It doesn't matter what it is because now you have to send that monster to the graveyard." Kristiann pointed out. Yami chuckled some more. "No necessarily true, you see, this monster has a very nice special ability: when it's sent from the deck to the graveyard, I can automatically special summon it to my side of the field." Yami explained.

"So now I summon one of the most powerful monsters my deck can produce: Palkia, the Sovereign of Space!" Yami screamed as he drew the card onto his duel disk. Suddenly the dark clouds in the sky grew darker and lightning flashed in the distance. One lightning bolt rained down from the sky and hit the ground on Yami's playing field. From the flash, the great winged dragon Palkia emerged. It stood on two legs, but had impressive claws on all appendages. It had a rather long neck and one shining pearl on each shoulder, the symbol of its 2900 attack points and 2500 defense points.

"And also because of the Seal of the Orichalcos, my dragon gains an extra 500 attack and defense points, making it virtually invincible!" Yami laughed as the symbol on his forehead lit up and a new Orichalcos symbol appeared on Palkia's forehead and its power was boosted to 3400 attack and 3000 defense. "I know how much you just love space, don't you, James? Now cower before its power!" Yami laughed loudly as Palkia let out a powerful, primal roar.

"Ah, there's nothing I can do now. So I'll lay this facedown and end my turn." Kristiann finished my playing a card facedown. "Then let the destruction commence." Yami said as he drew a new card. "To start off, I'll lay this card facedown. Then I'll activate Palkia's special ability: at the cost of 500 life points, I can attack all your monsters at the same time." Yami explained as he dropped his life points down to 1100. "Now, Palkia, destroy Little Win-Guard and Vampire Lord with your spatial obliteration ability!" Yami commanded as Palkia's pearls lit up and it crossed its arms and sent a purple shock wave at the enemy field, slashing James and Kristiann's monsters and wiping them out, dropping Kristiann's life points down to 1300.

"That's enough devastation for one turn, so I'll end my turn now." Yami concluded. "Then it's time to me to take back control of this duel." James said as he drew a card. "My hand's not too great now, so I'll play Pot of Greed to let me draw two new cards." James said as he played the magic card and drew his cards.

James smiled a little and then summoned a monster. "I summon Rocket Warrior in attack mode." He said as the little rocket-shaped knight appeared on the field with 1500 attack and 1300 defense. "Now, Rocket Warrior, attack Palkia with rocket boost attack!" James commanded as his warrior switched into rocket mode and fired itself at Yami's dragon. "You fool! Your warrior is no match for Palkia!" Yami exclaimed. "Aha, but Rocket Warrior has a special ability: when it attacks a stronger monster, it doesn't take any damage, but weakens your monster by 500 attack points until the beginning of your next turn." James explained as Rocket Warrior impacted Palkia, causing it to flinch and take a step back and lose 500 attack points.

"Now I'll set this card facedown and end my turn. It's up to you, Kristiann!" James concluded. "Alright, my move!" Kristiann said as she drew her card. "And because my Vampire Lord was destroyed by a card's effect last turn, it returns to the field now in attack mode." She explained as a coffin rose from the ground and Vampire Lord stepped out, as strong as ever. She glanced over her hand and then set a card facedown, disappointedly. "I'm sorry James, but this is the best I can do for now." Kristiann concluded. "It's ok, we did our best." James consoled.

"But your best is not good enough to win here!" Yami exclaimed. "But before I begin my turn, I'll activate my facedown card: Solemn Wishes. This card allows me to gain 500 life points every time I draw a card from my deck. So now I'll draw, and give my life points a boost." Yami explained as he followed through his actions and his life points rose back up to 1600. "And now that Palkia is back at full strength, it's time to destroy your monsters once again! Aha, perhaps you shouldn't be pathetic and rely on others to see you through. Only you can rely on yourself and you've been simply pathetic this duel. Luckily for you I can end that right now." Yami taunted.

"At the cost of 500 life points, I activate Palkia's ability of spatial obliteration! Now Palkia, destroy all of their monsters once again!" Yami laughed as Palkia charged for its attack. But before it could execute its attack, it was interrupted. "Not so fast, Yami! You told me to stop being pathetic, so I think I'll follow up on that advice. I activate my trap card: Exile to the Stratosphere!" James exclaimed as he flipped up one of his facedown cards.

"You see, this card defies the power of Palkia's space and bends it to my own. My Exile to the Stratosphere trap card removes your monster from the game as long as my trap card remains on the field." James explained as the clouds opened up Palkia began to levitate in the air. Yami growled in anger as his spatial dragon was sealed in an electric coat and floated away to above the clouds. "You think you can just defy me like that?! You may gave temporarily gotten rid of my space dragon, but you've only just begun to witness the horrors my deck has in store for you." Yami ranted.

But then Yami smiled darkly as if he just got a great idea. "Speaking of horrors, I'm getting tired of this field. I think it's time for a change of scenery, don't you?" Yami asked mockingly as the storm clouds in the sky congregated once more and the sky grew even blacker. "What's going on?" Kristiann asked in surprise as the Seal's symbol on Yami's forehead shined the only light on the field. "It's time to witness the pains of your past and mine, James. And I can give just the space to do it in." Yami said calmly, in a very ominous way. The entire field grew dark with the exception of the Seal of the Orichalcos on the ground as the area changed space.


	7. Chapter 7: Blast from the Past

Chapter 7- Blast from the Past

"Welcome to a whole new level of nightmares!" Yami laughed as light began to shine again on the arena. Although the sun was shining once again, storm clouds still covered the sky. They appeared to now be dueling on top of the roof of some building. To one side of the building were a lush tree and a towering Catholic Church. To another side were a soccer field and an outdoor basketball court. To each of the other sides of the rectangular building were parallel streets. If the playground on one side and the big green triangle in front of the main doors didn't give it away, the sign in front of the building identified it as an elementary school. The sign itself read "Bishop Larkin Catholic School."

"Ahaha, do you remember this place, James? You could say that this was the place where I was born. Welcome back to your most favorite middle school: Bishop Larkin!" Yami mocked. "Bishop Larkin? You told me about that place once. You hated it, didn't you?" Kristiann looked sympathetically at James. But before he could answer, he was interrupted by his darker side. "Hated it? Why, he despised it with every fiber of his being! All that hate, desire for destruction, darkness… that's how I was born." Yami said wistfully.

"And it's from that same darkness that I'll crush you here. I summon Orichalcos Malevolence in attack mode!" He then cried as he summoned the great fiery demon with 1500 attack and 0 defense points. But then the Orichalcos symbol appeared on its forehead and its attack was boosted to 2000 and defense was boosted to 500. "And into the darkness you shall return again. Malevolence, attack Rocket Warrior with hateful blaze attack!" Yami commanded as his demon reared back its head and blew a stream of flames towards James' Rocket Warrior.

"Since you declared an attack, I can activate my trap card: A Hero Emerges!" James said as he revealed his other facedown card. "Now you have to randomly pick one of the three cards in my hand. If the card you pick is a monster, then I can automatically summon it to the field." James explained as he held up his hand.

Yami glanced over the unknown the cards and then made his choice. "I choose the middle card." He said as James smiled. "Good choice! Now I can summon my Cyber Tech Alligator in attack mode!" James exclaimed as he placed the card on his duel disk. With a mighty roar, the cyborg dragon appeared with 2500 attack points and 1600 defense points.

"It doesn't matter, your Rocket Warrior is still doomed!" Yami growled as his monster's attack finally engulfed the warrior and it was no more, dropping James' life points down to 2200. Yami cracked a smile once again and played a card facedown. "I'll lay this card on the field and then end my turn." He concluded.

"Then it's time to show you what I can really do!" James exclaimed confidently as he drew his card. "Not so fast! Before your turn goes any further, I'll activate my trap card: Thunder of Ruler!" Yami called as he revealed his facedown card. "This card makes it so that none of your monsters can attack during this turn. A rather fitting card for you, eh James? Only for you it'd be more like the thunder ruler, Mr. Great Emperor Zapto?" Yami mocked.

"What does he mean, James? Zapto is your pen name for stories and stuff, but what does that have to do with anything?" Kristiann asked. But that only made Yami laugh even harder. "Aha, at one time Zapto was the name James donned onto himself to make himself seem powerful and less pathetic. He actually believed in a tactical rebellion and by using names and plans to carry him through those horrible years in Larkin." Yami explained. But then his expression turned to anger again. "But now there's a new plot afoot, the final destruction of your souls and my dark, triumphant victory!"


	8. Chapter 8: Darkness in the Classroom

Chapter 8- Darkness in the Classroom

"Alright, I might not be able to attack this turn, but that doesn't mean I can't do this: I summon Cyber Raider in attack mode! Pretty ironic, that now I'm using an electrical warrior, hunh? See I can make Zapto references too." James taunted in reply as his heroic, virtual monster appeared with 1400 attack points and 1000 defense points. "Then I'll end my turn by laying one card facedown." James concluded.

"Then I guess it's up to me again." Kristiann stated as she drew a card. "And I'll power up my Vampire Lord by playing his equip magic card: Black Pendant!" She said as she grasped the pendant around her own neck. "This necklace gives my Vampire an extra 500 attack points." She explained as the pendant appeared around her monster's neck and boosted its attack power to 2500. "Now, Vampire Lord, attack Yami's Orichalcos Malevolence and reduce his life points!" Kristiann commanded as her monster released a beam of dark energy from its cape. The energy nailed Yami's demon and destroyed it, brining Yami's life points down to 1100.

"And because my Vampire Lord did damage to your life points, you have to discard one type of card directly from your deck. And I choose for you to discard a trap card." Kristiann said as Yami looked through his deck and sent one card directly to the graveyard. Then he shuffled his deck and placed it back in its holder. "Do you actually think that'll help? Just finish your turn." Yami said with distaste.

"Fine, I'll finish by summoning one monster facedown in defense mode. It's your turn." She concluded.

"Excellent, now I'll draw, which increases my life points by 500 due to the effect of my Solemn Wishes card." Yami said as his card activated and his life points once again returned to 1600.

"Now I'd like to draw your attention to a spot on the ceiling: right there." Yami said ominously as he pointed to a now transparent part of the roof. It appeared to be a classroom and had math-related posters covering the walls. At the head of the room, right in front of the board, was a commanding woman, obviously the teacher.

"Hmhm, do you remember that woman, James?" Yami asked mockingly. James gave him an angry look, but said nothing. "Your silence speaks volumes. For all intents and purposes, it was that woman who pushed you to create me. Just look at her, James. Do you remember all that she did to you?" Yami asked again.

Seated in the classroom with the teacher woman were eight students. One of them was James, a few years younger than he was now. They appeared to be taking some kind of test or quiz. The younger James got up from his seat and walked over to where the teacher was standing at her podium and gave her his quiz. As he returned to his seat, he shot her a nasty look and sat down with obvious distain.

"What happened in the past doesn't matter now. Why are you bringing this up again?" James countered. But Yami burst into evil laughter. "Because these scars remind me that the past _is_ real, James." Yami shouted with emphasis and a song quote. "After you decided to have your little change of heart, I was cast into nothingness. But now I'm back to claim what was always mine." Yami explained again with resentment as the roof closed up again and they returned to the duel.

"And this card can create darkness, just as this school created me. I summon Magical Scientist in attack mode!" Yami exclaimed as the dark, mad scientist appeared on the field with 300 attack and defense points. But then the Seal of Orichalcos powered up the creature with its sacred symbol and boosted the scientist's power to 800 attack and defense points.

"Aha, this card may appear weak now, but it has powers that you can't even begin to imagine." Yami explained confidently as the storm clouds grew darker and lightning struck in the distance.


	9. Chapter 9: Tricky Operations

Chapter 9- Tricky Operations

"My Magical Scientist has quite the unique ability." Yami began to explain. At the cost of 1000 of my life points, I can summon any fusion monster that I want directly from my deck." Yami continued as he allowed his life points to drop down to 600. "So now Scientist, activate your ability and summon Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon in attack mode!" Yami cried as the storm gradually worsened. Then the great, two-headed, electrical dragon emerged to the field with 2800 attack and 2100 defense. But once again, the Seal of Orichalcos increased its power on both heads of the dragon, raising its stats to 3300 attack and 2600 defense.

"Now, great Thunder Dragon, attack James' Cyber-Tech Alligator with lightning breaking attack!" Yami commanded with a flash of the Seal on his forehead as his dragon let out twin streams of lightning that ripped apart his Gator, reducing his life points to 1400. "Next, I'll lay this two cards facedown." Yami said as he slipped two cards into his duel disk. "And because I'm now ending my turn, my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon returns to my deck." Yami said regrettably. "But he'll be back soon enough. Alright, it's your move." Yami concluded.

"Fine." James said as he drew a card. "I sacrifice my Cyber Raider in order to summon this: my Airknight Parshath!" James cried as he summoned the angelic centaur with a shining blade and 1900 attack and 1400 defense. "Humph, you and your angels, James." Yami muttered sarcastically. "And I think it's time for this angel to end this duel. Airknight, attack Magical Scientist with your sky blade attack!" James commanded as his monster charged, sword held high.

"Why thank you, James. You've activated my trap card: Draining Shield!" Yami countered as he flipped up his card. "Not only does it negate your attack, but it increases my life points by the same amount as your monsters attack points." Yami explained as a shield formed around his Scientist and absorbed the attack, boosting Yami's life points by 1900, making its new total 2500 life points.

"I end my turn." James submitted with obvious regret and disappointment. "Then I guess I'll take over." Kristiann said as she drew a card. "And I'll flip up my facedown monster and switch it to attack mode. Go, Penguin Soldier!" She cried as her knightly penguin emerged with 750 attack and 500 defense. "And my Penguin Soldier has a special ability: it can return any monster on the field to the owner's hand. So I'll use that ability to send your Magical Scientist back to your hand." Kristiann explained confidently, but Yami just grinned evilly.

"I was expecting a flip effect from your defense monster. Actually, I've anticipated most of your moves up till this point. And this card is no exception. For you see, my facedown card is a very powerful trap card that will ensure my victory in this duel. I activate my facedown trap card: Operation TR!" Yami cried as he revealed his facedown card.

"Does this look familiar to you, James? It should, if you have any respect for the past." Yami taunted. But James just gave Yami and angry look and Kristiann looked at James questioningly. "But don't worry, my dear, I'll explain, since James obviously doesn't want to." Yami again taunted.

"Way back when James just felt so oppressed by School, not only did he put on a heroic façade, he even came up with cute little names for his so called "Operations." Basically, they were basic little plans for achieving whatever kind of lame goal he had. Actually I quite enjoyed them, but that's not the point. The first one, Operation TR, was simply survival; getting through school and actually having a life in the future. Now isn't that sad? That James needed a plan just too simply survive and have a little fun? But then again, life in Larkin was sad. But hey, I'm not complaining. If it wasn't for all that wonderful hate, I wouldn't be here today, right?" Yami mocked further.

"That's enough! What happened back then doesn't matter now, I've changed!" James snapped. "Ah, but have you? I'm still here don't forget. And believe me, I'll make sure you don't forget. Because my Operation TR trap card prevents any monster with one or two stars on my side of the field from being targeted by anything. That means you can't attack or use an effect from a monster or magic or trap card solely on my Magical Scientist." Yami explained. "Not only that, but it also doubles the attack of my monster making it have 1600 attack points." Yami continued as his monster grew in strength.

"I guess I have no choice but to end my turn then." Kristiann concluded. "Then I think it's time to make my move." Yami said as he drew a card. When he saw the card he drew, he laughed again in his evil fashion. "And I think this turn will be one of the most epic. For I now hold a card that will lead to your destruction. A storm is coming, James and Kristiann. The question is: are you ready for it?" Yami said ominously as lightning struck again and rain began to fall.


	10. Chapter 10: Fury of the Storm

Chapter 10- Fury of the Storm

"First off, I gain 500 life points from my Solemn Wishes card." Yami began as his life points rose to 3000. "Now, do you really want to know what card I hold?" Yami taunted through the rain. "I'll tell you: It's my Mystical Space Typhoon!" Yami exclaimed as he showed them the card and then placed it into his duel disk. "This card allows me to destroy one magic or trap card on the field. And I know just which one I'm going to target." Yami said as he pointed at the only face-up trap on James' side of the field.

"I choose to destroy your Exile to the Stratosphere and release Palkia!" Yami laughed as the wind grew fierce and a large tornado appeared around the card, destroying it. Immediately, the rain picked up and the great spatial dragon came crashing down from the sky with a mighty roar and peal of thunder. Yami laughed even harder and James and Kristiann looked at the familiar dragon with a mix of fear and worry.

"But that's not where it ends. Why stop now when all this power could be mine? I'll wipe you out in this turn with one swift rampage of pure power!" Yami laughed as the Orichalcos symbol on his forehead lit up more, as if it was reacting to the anger and power lust inside of its user. "I now sacrifice 1000 life points to activate the special ability of my Magical Scientist." Yami said as he allowed his life points to drop to 2000. "Now come back to me, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" He cried to the chaotic sky as he threw his fusion monster onto his duel disk and the great electrical dragon emerged.

"Do you see it now? You once said something about this didn't you, about what I'm going to do now?" Yami asked ominously, even though he obviously knew the answer. "You don't have to answer, I already know, considering it was probably me who really said it anyway. You said you wanted to unleash your righteous rage with lightning and power. And that's exactly what I'm going to do to you now." Yami said almost too calmly as the rain grew heavier and the wind blew harder.

"But my electrical array of monsters is not completed yet. For now I sacrifice my Magical Scientist in order to summon a much more powerful monster." Yami said as his scientist dissolved and Yami threw a new monster card onto his duel disk. "I summon the essence of darkness and thunder, the fusion of greatness!" Yami laughed insanely. "I summon Skull Archfiend of Lightning in attack mode!" He cried as his great skull fiend appeared with 2500 attack points and 1200 defense points. But then the Orichalcos kicked in, giving it an evil symbol and a total of 3000 attack points and 1700 defense points.

But then it was Kristiann's turn to laugh. "What's so funny? Have you finally realized that victory is hopeless and are submitting to my thunderous destruction?" Yami smirked. "No, it's just that you walked directly into my trap." Kristiann giggled. "What, a trap?! Impossible!" Yami exclaimed in disbelief.

"Oh, it's very possible, Yami. By summoning your Archfiend, you've allowed me to be able to activate my trap card. It's kind of ironic if you really think about it; that your greed for power sealed your fate." Kristiann somewhat mocked. "Enough talking! What is your trap?" Yami freaked.

"Fine, I activate my trap card: Torrential Tribute!" Kristiann revealed as her card flipped up. Yami looked at it in fear, while James turned and smiled widely at his lady. "This card activates whenever you normal summon a monster to the field and it automatically destroys all monsters on the field." She explained as the rain fell even heavier.

All around them, the storm grew extremely intense and lighting fell all around the area. In fact the storm grew so intense that it soon became impossible to see anything. "No, what is this, what have you done now?!" Yami freaked out in fear as everything grew pitch dark, with the exception of the eerie glow of the Seal of Orichalcos.


	11. Chapter 11: Sunset over a New World

Chapter 11- Sunset over a New World

"W-where are we now?" Kristiann asked as light filled the area again. To once side of the field was nothing but the open ocean with the beautiful sun setting on the horizon. To the other side was a large, ornate house, complete with a dock and a back porch with a pool and hot tub. It was obvious that a rich family owned this house.

"But how are we standing on the water like this?" James asked as he rejoined the duel. He and Kristiann looked down and did indeed saw that they were standing on the water. "It's the power of the Orichalcos. It must have reacted when that massive storm ripped through the field. That's why we were transported here and how we can stand up on the water." Yami said as he stood fully up again on the opposite side of the field.

What he said made sense because all three of them were still entrapped within the sacred boundaries of the Seal. "Yet another useful purpose for my Seal of Orichalcos. I do so love its power." Yami said as his forehead symbol lit up brighter.

"This place however does make me a little uneasy." He then conceded as he looked around. "Of course, this is the Gulf of Mexico, right by the Rossi's house." James revealed.

"Hmm, yes, I even remember the day. It was the first time you really hurt me, James." Yami reminisced. "But then, maybe it hurt you a bit too. I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn." Yami finished his turn. The field was barren once again after the effects of Kristiann's trap card. None of the player's had monsters and only Yami had one facedown card and his Solemn Wishes trap.

"Now it's my turn." James began as he drew a card. "And I think it's my turn to retell a story to you, Yami. As you said, you remember the day this happened." James began. "It was Memorial Day, last year. My friend Sclena and I came to a party at that house for the occasion. But it was the after-party that really affected you, wasn't it Yami?" James somewhat mocked, but mostly stated the fact. "I suppose karma means I deserve this. But you'll get it soon enough. Just make your move." Yami snapped back annoyed.

"Fine then, I will. And this monster will force you to take another look at yourself. I summon Reflect Bounder in attack mode!" James cried as he summoned the mirror faced machine with 1700 attack and 1000 defense points. "Now, Reflect Bounder, attack Yami's life points directly with mirror shot attack!" James commanded as his monster shot a beam of pure light energy directly towards Yami. The beam hit its target and brought Yami's life points down to 300, sending him staggering back from the blow.

"That's cute, James, your weak attempt at shaking me up, but it won't work here. I activate my trap card: Nocturnal Interference." Yami said panting as he flipped up his facedown card. "This card activates when I loose 1500 life points or more in one attack and it allows me to summon any dark monster of four stars or less from either my deck or graveyard after I first discard a card from my hand. And though my life points may be extremely low, this monster will protect me. Return to the field once again: Spirit Reaper in defense mode!" Yami cried as his skeletal monster re-emerged from the graveyard back to field with its boosted 800 attack points and 700 defense points.

"Your monster may protect you for now, but we'll defeat it and then go for your life points. I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn." James concluded. "Now it's my move." Kristiann stated as she drew a card. "Yami, this duel ends here because now I can destroy the rest of your life points with this card." Kristiann began as she held up the card she just drew. Yami looked in almost fear as she inserted it into the duel disk.


	12. Chapter 12: Orichalcos Mind Games

Chapter 12- Orichalcos Mind Games

"I activate Monster Reborn!" Kristiann cried as the magic card activated on the field. "This lets me revive one monster from any players' graveyards. And I choose to bring back James' Airknight Parshath on my side of the field." She then explained as the angelic knight reappeared with 1900 attack points and 1400 defense points.

"No, not that monster!" Yami exclaimed in fear. "Yes, my Airknight has a special ability that will end this duel here and now. You see, whenever it attacks a monster in defense mode, life points are still subtracted. And even though I can't destroy your Spirit Reaper, I can still attack it and reduce your life points to zero. And that's exactly what I'm going to do." Kristiann explained, but was cut off by a resonating peal of evil laughter from Yami.

"I don't see what's so funny, Yami. You're about to lose the duel." James pointed out. "What's so funny?! Let me ask you a question Kristiann. Do you know what will happen when this duel ends?" Yami asked, his voice becoming dark and insane. "Of course, after we win this duel you'll go away and we'll be free." Kristiann answered.

"That's not what I mean. I don't think you understand the full power of the Seal of Orichalcos, my dear. Would you care to explain, James?" Yami countered. James looked at Yami questioningly, but then his eyes got wide as he realized what Yami was talking about. "By the look on your face I can see that you know exactly what I mean. When the Seal of Orichalcos is played, not only does it give tremendous dark power to the person using it, but it also traps us inside. After the Seal is formed, only the winners are allowed to go free. The losers become trapped in the Seal forever; their souls forced to spend eternity in limbo." Yami explained.

"Now where's the problem with that? I have absolutely no problem with you being trapped here forever." Kristiann countered. "I don't think you understand the magnitude of what I just said. Not only do the losers lose the duel, they lose their souls." Yami explained with climatic emphasis. Kristiann's eyes then grew wide in sudden realization.

"They lose their souls…?" Kristiann asked, completely shocked. "Yes. And not only that, but think of the logic here. If I am simply a part of James, his evil side granted, but a part of him nonetheless, then what happens to him if my soul is taken? Does he lose part of his soul as well?" Yami asked as he grinned in a completely evil and insane manner. "I-I don't know…" Kristiann trailed off in confusion as her Airknight lowered its sword, unsure if its mistress wanted it to attack.

"Don't listen to him Kristiann! You can't fall for his mind games!" James shouted to her in encouragement. "But James, he's got a point, what will happen to you?" She sadly asked him. "I… don't worry about me; I'll be fine. Just attack him and end this duel!" James tried to get through to her. "Are you really willing to hurt James like that? A part of his soul might be lost forever." Yami tempted again.

"Kristiann, please attack, he's lying." James tried again. Kristiann stood there, very upset and unsure of what to do. "I'm sorry James, I can't do it. I end my turn." Kristiann conceded.

"Aha, then that gives me a second chance." Yami laughed out loud as he drew a card and gained 500 life points from Solemn Wishes, raising them up to 800. "And I think it's time to refresh our hands. So I activate Card of Sanctity, allowing us all to draw cards from our decks until we hold six cards in our hands." Yami explained.

"So now we stand on the dawn of a new duel and this time, I'll come out on top and both of your souls will be sealed away forever!" Yami laughed as the sun made contact with the water on the horizon.


	13. Chapter 13: Offense and Defense

Chapter 13- Offense and Defense

"Before I continue, my life points grow by 500 because I just drew some cards." Yami began as his life points rose to 1300 due to the effect of Solemn Wishes. "Next, I'll sacrifice my Spirit Reaper in order to summon my Millennium Shield in defense mode." Yami said as he discarded his reaper and summoned the great, shining shield that had 0 attack points, but 3000 defense points. But when the Seal of Orichalcos was done with it, it had 500 attack points and 3500 defense points.

"Wahaha, my Shield is the perfect defense! There's not a creature in either of your decks that can break through it. But just to be safe, I'll lay this card facedown and end my turn." Yami concluded.

"Then it's my turn to take back victory." James said as he drew a card. "And while I might not be able to destroy your Shield now, I can still summon this monster in attack mode: go Command Knight!" James cried as he summoned the red knight with 1200 attack points and 1900 defense points. "But my Knight has a special ability: as long as there's another monster on my side of the field, you can't attack my Command Knight. Also he gives all warriors on my side of the field a 400 point attack boost, including itself." James explained as his Knight's attack power rose to 1600.

"Next, I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn." James concluded. "I'm up then." Kristiann began as she drew her card. "And while I might not be able to destroy your shield either, I can also summon a monster. And I choose this one: D.D. Warrior Lady in attack mode!" Kristiann called as she summoned the light warrior with 1500 attack and 1600 defense. "But my Warrior Lady also gets a power boost from James' Knight's ability." She explained as her Warrior's attack power rose to 1900.

"You might have a stronger defense, but we have the stronger offense so there's no way you can get past our monsters." Kristiann countered Yami's earlier comment. Yami growled at this, but Kristiann ignored him as she continued her turn. "To finish, I'll lay one facedown card on my side of the field. Beat that!" Kristiann ended confidently.

"Hmph, you seem confident. But what good does that do you if you can't defeat me anyways?" Yami countered with venom. Kristiann took great offense at this and looked hurt. "But that doesn't matter anyway because I will defeat you long before you have the chance to defeat me again." Yami continued. "That's enough, Yami! Leave her alone, she didn't destroy you now out of mercy and love, which is something you'll never understand." James interceded. "I don't need those weak emotions to destroy my enemies." Yami shrugged as he drew his card.

"This card on the other hand might help. I summon my Twin-Headed Behemoth in attack mode!" Yami called as his two-headed dragon appeared on the field with 1500 attack points and 1200 defense points. "But since I know you can easily destroy my Behemoth, I'll equip my Millennium Shield with this card: Ring of Magnetism." Yami then played as an electrical ring surrounded his Shield. "Granted my monster may lose 500 attack and defense points, but it was well worth it because now the only monster on my side of the field that you can attack is my Millennium Shield." Yami explained.

"That'll do for now. Just try and get past my ultimate defense." Yami concluded. "I'll do it somehow. I'm not quite sure how, but I know I can break your Shield's defense." James said somewhat confidently as he drew a card. "And Yami, this is just the card." He then smiled as he looked at the card he just drew. "Your Millennium Shield may have 3000 defense points, but its attack power is still zero and that's how I'll destroy it." James began. "But how…?" Yami asked but was cut off when James showed him the card he held in his hand.

"I activate the magic card Shield and Sword. This powerful magic card flips the attack and defense points of all monsters on the field for one turn." James explained as his Reflect Bounder switched to 1000 attack and his Command Knight switched to 1900 attack. "W-what, no!" Yami exclaimed as his Shield switched to 0 defense points and his Behemoth switched to 1200 attack points. Kristiann also smiled widely as her Warrior Lady switched to 1600 attack points and her Airknight switched to 1400 attack points.

"Yami, that night, Memorial Day, weakened your defenses much like my magic just did now. And now it's time for me to deliver the final blow just as Kristiann did to you months later. Reflect Bounder, attack and destroy his Millennium Shield." James said as his Bounder shot a ray of light that smashed through the enemy shield and destroyed it. "Now Command Knight, attack and destroy his Behemoth." James then commanded as his Knight slashed through and ripped apart the enemy dragon, reducing Yami's life points down to 600.

"That's enough damage for one turn so I'll end my turn now." James concluded. "Then I guess I'm up." Kristiann began as she drew a card. "Aha but how are you possibly going to defeat me now, even with no monsters on the field? Unless of course you want James' soul to be ripped apart." Yami laughed as Kristiann frowned. "But that won't be an issue because I can get a monster on the field, even during your turn. You see, my Twin-Headed Behemoth has a special ability: when it's destroyed, I can re-summon it to the field with only 1000 attack and defense points. I can only activate this once per duel, but it doesn't matter because it can save me now." Yami explained as his Behemoth returned to the field in defense mode.

"Your monster doesn't affect me. I can destroy it again anyways. D.D. Warrior Lady, attack and destroy his Behemoth." Kristiann commanded as her female warrior slashed apart his Behemoth for a second time. "But now what are you going to do?" Yami taunted. She looked intensely at him for a moment. "I end my turn." She conceded. "Of course you do! Love is your greatest weakness, my dear; a weakness that runs throughout human history for now until eternity. But tonight, hate shall prevail and I shall win!" Yami laughed as the sun dipped halfway down the ocean on the horizon.

"And to continue, I'll boost my life points by 500 due to the effects of my Solemn Wishes card." Yami began as he drew a card and his life points rose to 1100. "Ah yes, darkness shall reign tonight and this card shall further my cause. I activate Dark Hole. This card destroys all monsters on the field and allows darkness to swirl around the field." Yami explained ominously as he played the card and a dark swirl enveloped the field. In the distance, the sun completed its trip and ushered in night. The entire field fell into darkness and the Seal of Orichalcos provided the only, eerie light.


	14. Chapter 14: A Holy Duel

Chapter 14- A Holy Duel

"Welcome to the final stage of your destruction." Yami said ominously as weak light returned to the field. The new arena they were fighting in was an elaborate church without any pews. Stained glass lined the upper walls on either side of them while a magnificent crucifix hung on the far wall above a decorated altar. The only lighting was a few weak electric lights and the starlight from the night sky coming in through the windows. While all of the pews were gone, they were replaced by the three duelists and the Seal in which they were trapped in.

"Wait, I know this place! This is the St. Leo's Church. But why did you bring us here Yami?" Kristiann stated and asked. "This place, St. Leos, is the ultimate area where light meets darkness. The light of love and friendship, and my darkness have clashed here more than once. And now they clash here once again." Yami explained.

"For once, Yami, I have to agree with you. This was the place where I realized what true friendship and light was all about. But I was too blinded by evil to fully realize it yet. It's actually fitting that you and I duel here once again." James said to his nemesis. "Yes, it is." Yami replied looking directly at James as he looked back.

"Wait, just what happened here, James? You went on some kind of retreat here, but then what?" Kristiann asked in confusion. "Kristiann, what happened here that weeklong retreat was something that happens only once in a long while. It was more than just a spiritual retreat, it was an opportunity for people to really get to know each other; to connect through the power of true friendship." James explained. "Ah yes, even I'll admit that the level of love and friendship was extremely powerful here. But our poor friend James here, just couldn't get it, now could he? He's completely right, he was blinded by evil. But it was that evil that made him… that made me strong. And that is where we stand now: fighting just as we did mentally almost ages ago." Yami elaborated.

"But this time, I know who's going to come out on top. And to further my cause I summon Rigorous Reaver in attack mode!" Yami then said as he summoned the scythe-wielding monster with 1600 attack points and 100 defense points. But then once again, the Seal of Orichalcos enhanced his monster with extra power, giving it 2100 attack points and 600 defense points.

"Now my beast, attack James' life points directly!" Yami commanded as his monster swung its huge scythe at James. "Not so fast! I activate my trap card: Hallowed Life Barrier! All I have to do is discard one card from my hand and I can block your attack." James explained as he discarded a card and Yami's Reaver's attack was blocked against the magical barrier. "Hmph, I was expecting a trap. It's no big deal because very soon my ultimate creature will emerge and decimate you. In fact, in exactly two turns with this card: Different Dimension Capsule. It allows me to take one card from my deck and remove it from the game. However, in two turns that card is added to my hand." Yami explained as a blue capsule emerged from the field and disappeared in a dimensional flash. "Do you realize what that means? It means that in exactly two turns the ultimate creature will emerge from the darkness of my deck and devour your souls!" Yami laughed in a very evil way.


	15. Chapter 15: Waiting in the Shadows

Chapter 15- Waiting in the Shadows

"That'll end my turn. The clock's ticking, James, you're up." Yami concluded. "Then let's see what I can do." James said as he drew a card. He glanced over his hand and then made his best choice. "I'll protect my life points with this monster: Big Shield Gardna in defense mode." James summoned the warrior with a gigantic shield and 100 attack points and 2600 defense points. "Then I'll lay this card facedown and end my turn." James concluded.

"I guess it's up to me then." Kristiann began as she drew a card. "I'll set this monster facedown in defense mode and then end my turn." She finished quickly. "Aha, you two seem like your hardly fighting back at all. That's too bad because I so want to hear your screams echo across this church before the Seal takes your souls." Yami remarked almost too calmly as he drew a card and increased his life points to 1600 due to the effect of Solemn Wishes. The pair looked at him angrily, but then Kristiann got a look of enlightenment on her face.

"Wait a minute I have a question for you, Yami." She began as she pointed directly at him. "If the Seal of Orichalcos' taking your soul destroys part of James' soul, then what happens if James loses his soul? Since you're a part of him does your soul become ruined too?" Kristiann asked. For the first time, Yami actually looked at Kristiann with a mix of fear and admiration.

"Hmph, if there's one thing you're not Kristiann, it's stupid. But I must admit it took you long enough to see through my mind game." Yami began. "The truth of the matter is, since we are both part of the same person, this duel is not necessarily for our souls, but for our bodies. You see, whoever wins becomes the man James Alvarez. If I lose, which is by far impossible believe me, then I simply fade away into the darkness of James' soul, trapped forever in the Seal of Orichalcos. But if James loses, then I take control of his body and his spirit is sealed away into the recesses of his soul." Yami explained. "So you mean…" Kristiann began. "Yes, even if I lose, James' soul goes unharmed. It's simply a matter of who walks away free from this duel." Yami admitted.

"Then your mind game earlier was just a bunch of lies?" James interrupted. "Believe whatever you want to. I'm not known for my honesty." Yami replied ominously. "Not that it really matters because I'm winning anyways. Remember during my next turn my Different Dimension Capsule will arrive carrying the cargo of the ultimate creature. But until then I can boost my power here by sacrificing my Rigorous Reaver in order to summon Invitation to a Dark Sleep." Yami said as the cloaked spell caster emerged onto the field with 1500 attack points and 1800 defense points. But once again the Seal enhanced his creature giving it the famous symbol and boosting its power to 2000 attack points and 2300 defense points.

"Although he has less attack points than my previous monster, my Dark Sleep magician has quite the special ability. During your next turn, none of your monsters can attack, ensuring that you can't harm me until my ultimate creature emerges." Yami explained. "That's not true, because my trap card will destroy your magician. I activate Divine Wrath!" Kristiann interrupted as her facedown card activated.

"It's actually really ironic how this card activates in a church, but my Divine Wrath card destroys one effect monster on the field when that effect is activated. All I have to do is discard one card from my hand and your Invitation to a Dark Sleep is destroyed." She then explained as a lighting bolt fell from the ceiling and destroyed Yami's spell caster. "Hmph, that doesn't matter anyways. I end my turn." Yami conceded.

"Then it's up to me to end this duel before your capsule arrives." James stated as he drew a card. "Before you progress any further, I activate my trap card: Power of the Inquisition!" Yami cried as he activated his religiously-based facedown card. "And here's how it works: each of you must hold up one card and I have to guess what kind of card it is, magic, trap, or monster. If I guess correctly, then none of your monsters can attack during your next turn." Yami explained.

"Fine then, let's go." James said as he held up a card. Yami thought for a minute and then made his choice. "I guess that your card is a magic card." Yami guessed. James flipped over the card in his hand to reveal that it was indeed a magic card. "It looks like I guessed right. Now it's your turn, Kristiann." Yami moved along as she held a card up too. "But this time I think you have a monster card." Yami again guessed. "I hate to admit it, but your right. Now neither of us can attack this turn." Kristiann conceded as she revealed her card to be a monster.

Yami smirked, but James interrupted. "But that doesn't mean we can't prepare for whatever ultimate monster you have in store for us. And to make sure I'm prepared, I'll activate the magic card you just saw: Cost Down." James said. "If I discard one card from my hand, my Cost Down card reduces the star level of all the monsters in my hand." James explained as he sent one card to the graveyard. "This means that I only need one sacrifice to summon a really strong monster. So I'll sacrifice my Big Shield Gardna in order to summon one of my most favorite and powerful monsters: Gilford the Lightning!" James exclaimed as his electric knight appeared on the field with 2800 attack points and 1400 defense points.

"That'll do for now." James concluded. "I know exactly what you mean James and now it's my turn to pick up the slack." Kristiann began her turn by drawing a card. "First, I'll flip up my defense monster to reveal Magician of Faith." She said as her light magician appeared with 300 attack and 400 defense points. "While my magician may seem weak, it has a very nice special ability: it allows me to add one magic card from my graveyard to my hand. And I choose to activate that card now: Monster Reborn." Kristiann continued as the familiar Bolt Penguin returned to the field. "And now I'll sacrifice my two monsters in order to summon this: Shining Arctic Queen!" She exclaimed as the beautiful queen of ice emerged on the field with 2800 attack points and 1500 defense points.

"To end my turn, I'll lay one card facedown. Now we're totally ready for whatever you have in store for us." Kristiann finished as Yami began to laugh demonically. "Nothing can prepare you for what you are about to bear witness to!" Yami laughed as he drew a card and increased his life points to 2100. "Now that two turns have passed, my Different Dimension Capsule is destroyed, bringing my ultimate creature to my hand." Yami laughed with an insane look in his eyes as the Seal on his forehead grew brighter. The Capsule disappeared again from the sky and the card inside came floating to Yami's hand.

"It is time, James, Kristiann; time to end this duel once and for all. And time to seal your souls away forever!" Yami laughed into the night as he held his new card high above his head.


	16. Chapter 16: Summoning of Time

Chapter 16- Summoning of Time

"You can't even begin to imagine the power I now hold in my hand." Yami said ominously. "Just play it, Kristiann and I can take down anything as long as we work together." James replied confidently. "I'm afraid this is an exception. But I'll put you out of your misery now by activating this penultimate magic card: Temporal Destiny!" Yami cried as he inserted the card into his duel disk.

Immediately a strong wind began to blow throughout the church, as if resonating from Yami and his duel disk. The stained glass windows shattered, allowing the wind from the outside night to blow in as well. Also, at every point on the Seal of Orichalcos' symbol, a different one of Yami's past monsters appeared. Shining Abyss, Invitation to a Dark Sleep, Millennium Shield, Twin-Headed Behemoth, Palkia, the Sovereign of Space, and Rigorous Reaver all stood at different points along the edge of the circle.

"What's going on, Yami?" Kristiann yelled over the gale. The wind died down a bit while Yami explained the effect of his card. "Do you now understand the magnitude of the card I just played? Every turn and every card that was played has been leading up to this moment. For you see, my Temporal Destiny card allows me to summon an extremely powerful dimensional monster. However, an offering of sorts is required first. In order to usher in my beast, six different monsters of six different attributes must be removed from play from my graveyard. And as you can see, assembled around the circle are the six monsters I need." Yami explained.

"Shining Abyss, my light monster, is the symbolic fusion of light and darkness, the essence of this arena. Invitation to a Dark Sleep, my dark monster is the very shadows of this duel, the nightmare you must endure to save your souls. Millennium Shield, my earth monster, is the raw determination you and I once had to never be broken by all that tried to bring us down. Twin-Headed Behemoth, my wind monster, symbolizes all the lies, the act you put on to hide the darkness within. Palkia, the Sovereign of Space, my water monster, is the essence of space, of the divides between us all. And finally Rigorous Reaver, my fire monster, represents all of the anger and blind hatred within me. Together, I remove these six monsters from my graveyard in order to summon my new master: Dialga, the Tyrant of Time!" Yami screamed as the wind picked up again and all six monsters left their corner of the circle to enter a glowing twister in the roof. Once all six monsters were absorbed, the light flashed again and the new monster came down and landed on Yami's side of the dueling field.

Dialga, the Tyrant of Time, was a great blue dragon with steel colored spikes around it and a dark blue diamond on its chest. It stood on all fours and had a long neck with a menacing draconic head. Atop its head was the symbol of the Seal of Orichalcos, which enhanced its power and made it dark. Combined with the Seal, it had 4200 attack points and 4100 defense points.

"Now do you see it James, Kristiann? Everything, no exceptions, is a slave to time in one way or another. Everything exists within its sacred boundaries. And Dialga is the essence of that ultimate power, and he shall be your undoing." Yami smirked as he laughed ominously to himself. "We can still defeat it, somehow. I know James and I can overcome anything if we put our minds to it." Kristiann replied confidently, even in the face of such one-sided odds.

"That's cute, but your blind belief in love and teamwork can only get you so far. In the end, you have to rely on true power to carry you through. That is all I have known. And now it's time to unload it on you. I have you to thank for my suffering, James, so now I'm going to make you suffer by making you watch the Seal of Orichalcos take Kristiann's soul! Dialga, attack Shining Arctic Queen with temporal rage blast!" Yami commanded as his dragon unleashed a beam of blue energy straight towards Kristiann's monster.

"If Dialga's attack succeeds, Kristiann will lose all her life points. I can't allow that to happen. I activate my trap card: Attack Guidance Armor." James said nobly as he activated his facedown card. "This card allows me to redirect your monster's attack to any other monster on the field other than the monster attacking or the monster originally being attacked. And since there's only one other monster on the field, I choose for your attack to hit my Gilford the Lightning." James explained as the piece of armor appeared on the field and attached itself to Gilford.

"Wait, James no! If your monster is destroyed, then you'll loose all your life points and the Seal will take your soul!" Kristiann pleaded. "It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make in order to save you." James replied coolly as the attack shifted and started heading towards James' monster. "Then suit yourself, James you fool! Be a martyr because in the end I'll defeat you both!" Yami laughed insanely as the destructive beam hit and destroyed James' last remaining defense.


	17. Chapter 17: The Wrath of Dialga

Chapter 17- The Wrath of Dialga

As the smoke cleared, they saw that James' monster was no more and even James looked battered and beaten. "Aha, with that last attack your life points hit zero. Now, Seal of Orichalcos, envelop him fully and trap his soul away forever!" Yami cried, but the Seal didn't move. In fact, James' duel disk still showed that he had 300 life points left. "But, h-how is that possible?! That last attack should have wiped you out!" Yami freaked. "I-I don't know…" James panted as he turned to Kristiann.

On her side of the field was not only her Shining Arctic Queen, but the facedown card she had had activated. "James, now it's my turn to save you. Right before the attack wiped out all your life points, I activated my trap card: Gift of the Mystical Elf. This trap card increases my life points by 300 for every monster on my side of the field. But instead, I transferred that increase to your life points, saving you by giving you 300 life points." Kristiann explained as her trap card vanished.

"Kristiann, thank you for saving me, again." James said weakly as he struggled to remain on his feet. "You think your little tag-team can save the day?! That attack still left you incredibly weak, so this duel won't last much longer." Yami replied smugly. "I set one card facedown and end my turn." Yami concluded.

"My move then." James struggled as he drew a card. "I set one monster facedown in defense mode and then end my turn." James said weakly.

"It's up to me then, and I won't let you down." Kristiann began as she drew a card. "And I can destroy your Dialga now with this magic card: Offerings to the Doomed. It allows me to automatically destroy one of your monsters. And I choose to destroy your Tyrant of Time!" Kristiann said as she played the magic card. "I was expecting something like that. But I can't let you destroy my ultimate Tyrant. I activate my trap card: Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell." Yami countered. "As long as I discard one magic card from my hand, I can negate and destroy your magic card." Yami explained as his trap countered Kristiann's magic card.

"In that case, I'll lay two cards facedown and then end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Aha, then prepare to feel the unbridled wrath of Dialga!" Yami cried as he drew a card and increased his life points to 2600. "For you see, I shall now unleash Dialga's most devastating ability. Go, Dialga, Tyrant of Time, activate your temporal devastation ability!" Yami cried as Dialga let out a mighty roar and a swirling wormhole opened up in the airspace under the ceiling.

"First, all of us must discard all of the cards in our hands." Yami began explaining as everyone discarded their entire hands. "Next, Dialga will wipe out every single card on the field, with the exception of itself." Yami continued but was interrupted. "Wait a minute! Before you do that, I activate my facedown magic card: Synchronized Hearts!" Kristiann said as she activated her card. "Before it's destroyed, it adds the total of James' and my life points and splits them evenly between the two of us." She explained as both her and James' life points reset to 800 each.

"Thank you." James said as some of his strength returned. "That's cute and all, but it can't save you from what I am about to unleash." Yami continued. "Now, as I was saying, now every card on the field besides Dialga is destroyed and each player loses 200 life points for every card that was destroyed that belonged to them." Yami explained as Dialga let out another roar and send a shock wave across the arena that destroyed all the cards on it.

"I only loose 200 life points because of my Solemn Wishes trap, but you two aren't so lucky." Yami stated as his life points dropped to 1900. James winced a bit as his facedown Cyber Jar was ripped apart by Dialga's shock wave and his life points dropped to 600. Kristiann let out a somewhat louder noise as she lost 400 life points from her Arctic Queen and facedown trap card, dropping her life points to 400.

"But that's not the full extent of Dialga's devastation ability. Take a closer look." Yami stated as he motioned to the giant galactic wormhole in the airspace above Dialga. "For you see, now time itself is being tormented. Much like this entire duel has been. Think about it, James, Kristiann. Every event, every arena, every card, and every turn has simply been one long trip through the light and shadows of time." Yami went on almost longingly.

"And now, all your times have come. Here but now they're gone. But the question is, _do_ you fear the reaper? If not, then perhaps you should. For as long as this duel carries on, and long as time carries on, at the start of every player's turn, he or she shall lose 500 life points. And there's nothing that can be done to stop this ability. For as long as Dialga remains on the field, time remains within its power and the power of the Orichalcos." Yami explained coldly. "And with that done, I end my turn." He concluded.

"I still have one chance left." James stated as he reached for his deck on his duel disk. "Wait, James. Before you draw that card, remember just what's at stake here." Yami interrupted as James' life point count dropped to 100.

"For remember, this may very well be your last turn. But more importantly, think of this: Kristiann only has 400 life points. If she begins her turn, then she'll automatically lose the duel. Now I ask you, can you allow that to happen? If you forfeit the duel now, then you won't have to endure the pain of seeing her lose her soul. It's very simple really. You can save yourself a lot of pain. So I ask you, will you give up your soul now, so that you won't have to suffer any longer?" Yami taunted demonically and coldly.

James contemplated his words, but then stated his answer. "Of course not, Yami, and I'll tell you why. Because I understand something that you never will. I love Kristiann with all my heart and there's no way that I'll let her lose her soul, especially to a madman like you." James replied defiantly as Kristiann looked at him and smiled. "Defiant to the bitter end, that's just the way we are, James. If that is your decision, then so be it. Draw your final card and let the suffering commence." Yami sighed calmly.

"This is it then. Kristiann, this one is for you." James said as he drew his last card from his deck.


	18. Chapter 18: The Beginning of the End

Chapter 18- The Beginning of the End

"I've got one chance left to win this duel and set us both free. And everything's riding on this one card." James stated as he removed the card from the top of his deck and looked at it in a very 'heart of the cards' kind of way. "James, I believe in you, I know you can do it." Kristiann almost whispered as her and Yami stood there in suspense.

"Yami, the heart of the cards have never let me down before, and they haven't stopped now. For with the card I hold in my hand, I can win this duel." James said heroically. "What?! There's no way! Nothing can stop the ultimate power of Dialga and the Orichalcos!" Yami shouted in reply. "But there is, Yami, and this is it." James said as he looked directly at his nemesis. "But in order to summon my monster, I need to remove one light monster and one dark monster from my graveyard. So I shall remove my Rocket Warrior and my Cyber Raider from the game in order to summon this!" James yelled dramatically as his two monsters of light and darkness appeared above his head and then disappeared in a flash of light.

"Go Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning!" James shouted as he threw the monster card onto his duel disk. From the flash of light, a great shining knight emerged with a long sword and an impressive shield. It had 3000 attack points and 2500 defense points.

"N-no, this can't be!" Yami exclaimed in fear of the majestic, royal knight. "Oh but it is, Yami. My Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning is my favorite monster and also my most powerful. His power is unmatched throughout the entire game of Duel Monsters. You see, my Black Luster Soldier really is the Envoy of the Beginning. He represents the great light of creation and love. So your Tyrant of Time may control time, but Black Luster Soldier embodies the creation of it. And it's with that in mind that I'll take you down." James explained in determination and admiration of his knight.

"And just how do you plan to do that?" Yami asked, though deep down, he knew the answer. "My Soldier has a unique special ability that will destroy Dialga permanently. And I activate it now!" James exclaimed as his knight raised its sword. At once, light began to radiate from it and the wormhole stopped swirling in the sky. Dialga let out a primal roar and began to fade away at the extremities. "W-what's happening to my dragon?!" Yami asked again in fear. "Once during my turn, Black Luster Soldier can choose one monster on the field and remove it from the game permanently. And I choose to remove Dialga- Tyrant of Time!" James explained as Dialga let out one final roar and then vanished in a flash of light. "That ends my turn."

"That's it, Yami, it's over you have nothing left and it's Kristiann's turn. If she can summon a monster, you lose." James stated. "That's right, face it Yami, this duel ends here! Once again love and happiness win the day!" Kristiann exclaimed. But Yami simply stared at the floor and started laughing to himself, quietly at first, but then he got louder. "What's so funny? We're about to win." Kristiann asked. But then a dark aura covered Yami for a view seconds as he became fueled with the hate of the Orichalcos. "You just don't get it do you? The darkness is eternal; you can't defeat me, no matter what." Yami laughed insanely as the Orichalcos symbol on his forehead lit up.

"But you have nothing to protect your life points, you can't possibly win." Kristiann stated. "I don't need any normal monsters, there's only one creature that will serve me now: a creature that was born of the very darkness of the human soul, just as I was. And thanks to you and your blind emotions, I can summon it to the field." Yami laughed.

"But how?" Kristiann asked confused and a little afraid. "If you shut up for a moment I'll tell you. This creature can only be summoned once Dialga- Tyrant of Time and Palkia- Soverign of Space have both been removed from the game and I can summon it directly from my deck. But first, I have to give up every single one of my life points." Yami explained as a shadowy mist began to surround the area around his feet. "But without life points you'll lose the duel." James pointed out. "Normally, that's true. However my creature of limitless darkness defies those rules. As long as it remains on the field, I'm still in the game." Yami explained as the mist thickened.

"Now from the depths of darkness itself, I call forth Darkrai- the Despot of Darkness!" Yami screamed as he threw the card onto his duel disk. Immediately, all of the electric lights in the church shattered and a cold wind began blowing again. With the only light being the eerie glow of the Seal of Orichalcos, it made the perfect entryway for the darkest creature imaginable. From Yami's side of the field, emerged the shadow creature composed of dark energy, but with a gray face and red chin area. Once it emerged onto the field, it automatically gained the symbol of the Orichalcos on its forehead and grew even darker.

"Now, Darkrai, together we will feast on their souls as their screams echo in endless darkness forever!" Yami laughed demonically in absolute hate and rage.


	19. Chapter 19: The Ultimate Darkness

Chapter 19- The Ultimate Darkness

"With this level of hate and darkness on my side, there's no way I can lose!" Yami laughed as his Darkrai pulsed with sinister energy. Now that it was infused with all of the malice of the Seal of Orichalcos, it had 4600 attack points and 3900 defense points. "This is madness, Yami!" Kristiann exclaimed over the gale of wind that billowed throughout the church.

"No, my dear, this is the ultimate darkness, the limitless evil that dwells within the human heart. Just as Darkrai is the embodiment of that evil, I am a creation of that evil. And tonight we join as one!" Yami ranted as Darkrai let out a piercing scream and flew up behind Yami. From behind it ran right into him and the two fused together to create one powerful, evil shadow being. It still had the human shape of Yami, but it pulsed with the intangible shadows of Darkrai and its eyes were now almost all red, with only a faint hint of their original brown. Atop his forehead, sat shining the sacred symbol of the Seal of Orichalcos.

"Look at what you've become, Yami!" James exclaimed but Yami continued to laugh demonically. "I know full well what I've become! This is my true form! Swelling with boundless hate and anger, I am the true darkness within you James! And tonight darkness shall completely consume the light!" Darkrai-Yami yelled in his new, deeper, more demonic voice as he let out a sinister shock wave all around him. Considering the arena was totally covered in darkness anyway, the change to the church was not quite visible. But the change to the entire area was quite dramatic. All around them reality warped and shadows began to ripple and time and space seemed to be totally out of whack.

"H-how are you doing this Yami?" Kristiann asked in fear and fascination of the area around them. "I control this domain now, and it all exists to serve me and the limitless power the Seal of Orichalcos has given me!" Yami explained as he extended his hands and reached for James and Kristiann. But before he could reach them, he was interrupted with a fact. "Wait a minute! It's still my turn, and I have one chance left to defeat you." Kristiann stated. "Fine, do whatever, but nothing can be done to save you from my relentless wrath because now I'm no longer affected by any of your magic or trap cards. So in order to win you have to summon a monster stronger than mine. And because you only have one card to work with, I'd say that's by far impossible." Yami laughed.

"Well there's only one way to find out." Kristiann said semi-confidently as she drew a card. "Well it alone can't save me, but this card will certainly help. I play Rocket Ship to Jupiter." She said as she activated the card she just drew. "Normally this card only allows me to draw one card, but if I don't have any monsters on my side of the field, then I can draw three instead." She explained as she drew her cards.

"Yami, I'm going to put an end to your darkness once and for all." Kristiann said confidently as she turned to James and nodded. "With these three cards in my hand, you'll be defeated." She stated with determination. "There's no way you can do that, Darkrai is unbeatable. Because now I can activate his ability: I gain 200 extra attack points for every dark monster in my graveyard. And because I have five, I gain 1000 attack points!" Yami explained as his attack power rose to 5600.

"That doesn't matter, we can still win. But James I need your help." Kristiann petitioned. "Of course I will, we're in this together. And together, nothing can stop us." James replied as he looked at his lover. "Then let's go. First I play this magic card: Soul of the Pure. This increases my life points by 800." She explained as she activated the card that described her perfectly. "It doesn't matter how many life points you have, you still can't quench the darkness!" Yami countered.

"Not necessarily, because now I can give up those 800 life points in order to activate this card: Premature Burial. This card allows me to bring back one monster from my graveyard and summon it to the field." Kristiann explained. "And I choose to revive my Shining Arctic Queen!" She exclaimed as her monster returned to the field in attack mode.

"And now Yami, it's time for me to end this madness by activating the final card of this duel." Kristiann stated as she held up her last card. "Wait, Kristiann, stop! Don't do it, I can help you. I have ultimate power I can give you whatever you want!" Yami pleaded in obvious fear. "I don't need your kind of power, Yami. I won't give in to your temptation. I have everything I need and you're not a part of it." Kristiann replied.

"So this is the way it ends, Yami. I activate Victory Alliance!" She exclaimed as she played the final card. "This card allows all of the monsters on our side of the field to join forces against one of yours." Kristiann explained as Black Luster Soldier raised his sword and Shining Arctic Queen raised her scepter. The two powerful monsters crossed their weapons as the sword and scepter started to glow with light energy. "Combined, our Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning and Shining Arctic Queen have an attack power of 5800. That's more than enough to defeat you." Kristiann stated.

"Alright, Kristiann, now let's bring him down together!" James said as Darkrai-Yami stood there in fear of the upcoming attack. James and Kristiann's two monsters' weapons began shining more with light energy as they both looked directly at their target. "Now, Black Luster Soldier and Shining Arctic Queen, attack Darkrai and Yami and end this duel now!" James and Kristiann commanded in unison and both of their monsters unleashed a massive burst of energy from the combined power of their attacks.

"No, it can't be, it can't end this way!" Yami cried as the blast ripped through him and enveloped him in the ultimate light of the attack.


	20. Chapter 20: The Way it Ends

Chapter 20- The Way it Ends

"That's it, Yami. It's over." Kristiann stated in relief as her and James' monsters disappeared from the field. As the smoke cleared, they saw that Yami had returned to his original form and that they were back in the church arena of St. Leos. It was for certain; this duel was over.

"Hmph, imagine this: me a victim to my own darkness." Yami chuckled weakly as the Seal of Orichalcos began to move slowly and close in around Yami. "So this is it, hunh? Well, I guess it doesn't matter. Like I said the darkness doesn't go away forever. I'll be back someday, and when I do then you'll both suffer." Yami said calmly. "No, Yami, you're wrong. While it may be true that darkness will always exist, it can never win as long as love and friendship control our lives." James countered. "Hmm, you're still holding on to that belief, are you?" Yami chuckled evilly as the Seal continued to move in towards him. "Of course, love and friendship always win the day." Kristiann replied.

"Ah, stubborn as always… but I suppose that's the way you always were. It doesn't matter, this may be the end now, but it won't last forever." Yami smiled as he fell to his knees and the Seal closed in around his body. "T-the darkness will rise again sometime, you can't stop that. Goodbye James, I will control you soon enough. Goodbye Kristiann, my dear, I'll seal you away and make you pay someday for this. But for now I'll leave you with a little parting gift… Farewell." Yami bid farewell as his eyes flashed red once more before returning to James' brown. Then the Seal of Orichalcos fully wrapped around him and the green light shined up from the ground. Yami winced in pain as the green light took his soul. He smiled darkly one last time before the green light stopped and the Seal of Orichalcos disappeared and Yami's soulless body fell facedown to the ground.

"So that's it." James said. "Yea we did… James!" Kristiann exclaimed as James grew weak and fell to the ground as well, unconscious. She ran towards him, but stopped when a bright light flashed across the world and blinded her.

* * *

The sun was shining brightly as James opened his eyes again. "W-what happened?" James asked quietly to no one in particular. He was lying on his back on the bench where they first met Yami. He sat up and noticed that Kristiann was sitting and waiting next to him on the same bench.

"James, you're awake!" Kristiann shouted as she hugged her lover. "Hey there, honey. What happened? The last thing I remember is Yami's soul being taken by the Orichalcos. Then I fell unconscious." James stated as he returned the embrace. "Aw, honey after you collapsed a bright light blinded me. When I woke up I was sitting here on this bench. But you were still out, so I sat here waiting for you to wake up." She said as she nudged her head against his arm.

"So I guess it's finally over. Wait, it's the same time now as when we first began the duel, what happened?" James asked as he stroked her head. "I'm not too sure, but I think that the whole thing wasn't really real. I think it was just some kind of dream." Kristiann replied. "Or a nightmare." James added.

"But now it's finally over. Kristiann together we conquered the darkness inside of my heart, and this time, its not coming back, not as long as we're together." James said romantically. "Yes, the nightmare is finally over, let's continue our walk now." Kristiann added as she stood up. "Ok." James replied as he stood up. "One more thing though, honey. I love you." James said. "I love you too, baby." Kristiann replied as their lips touched each others and they stood in a kiss and eternal embrace. "Now let's go, honey." James said to her. "Together." Kristiann added as they joined hands and walked on under the sunlight of love and friendship.


End file.
